Don't Call Me Guru

When you involve yourself in the Health and Wellness field, there is a certain expectation from others. They WANT, almost NEED, you to be a shining example of what you are teaching. They hang on your every word and willingly follow your lead. Such Guru-worship' is fraught with peril. I have yet to meet the perfect man or woman. They don't exist. Which means Guru-worship almost always ends in disappointment.

Having spent years in and around Spiritual Retreats and Yoga camps, I find both seekers and leaders are able to stay... pretty much... 'on the path', while they REMAIN within this supportive environment. Once outside, it is only a matter of time until their 'light' (which shone so brightly), starts to go out.

I have been shocked at certain stars of Alternative Health, who, in their early years, were inspirational but now spend their days hustling astonishingly-priced supplements and gadgets. I won't name them.

The Truth About Cancer series, which started out wonderfully, is also overdoing it. Overwhelming my inbox with emails, dripping with insincerity, from people I have never met, Such superficial hustling is disappointing.

There are very few people who are truly Spiritual. To the point there 'light' really did shine. In all my years, I only met two. They didn't have to sell themselves. You are, naturally, drawn to them.

So what of us lesser mortals? Where the 'Guru' crown sits, uneasily? They CAN be of service to others because they acquire important knowledge.

This is me.

Yes, I have had mystical, transcendent, trans-formative moments. In and out of Yoga retreats and Christian revivals and during electrifying spiritual practices. Such moments open your mind and help you realize it takes more than a stick of celery and a coffee enema to bring about healing.

I have progressed a long way but I am not a saintly 'guru', living a life of peace and purity, in an Ashram. I live in the every day, fallen world, helping in a quiet, pragmatic way. Springing into action when I run a Retreat or have a Zoom consult call. I even have a coffee with friends. Just one, though. Two, make me jittery.

As a classic introvert, I am uncomfortable with crowds. Slim 'Vata' types, like me, don't tend to be great advertisements for fasting or raw food diets. We can become gaunt and depleted, making you question whether such diets are appropriate, in the long term.

There is a pressing need in society for people with knowledge and experience to do what they can to help others. Which is why I recently emerged from my shell and embraced social media. I block 'trolls', immediately, so my social landscape is a green and pleasant land.

I once spent time in a Catholic retreat for novice priests, who had suffered psychological breakdowns in their attempts to be 'just like Jesus'. They weren't and never could be 'just like Jesus'. They needed to become better versions of themselves.

There is an interesting booklet given out to British Royal Navy officers. It's called 'The Officers Guide to Etiquette'. It says Officers aren't allowed to eat baked beans or french fries (chips). These 'foods' are considered too 'lower-deckish'. It was humorous, then, when going ashore in one UK Port, to see officers standing in line, in a well-known Fish & Chip shop... waiting for baked beans and chips!

I hope you get the point.
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Don't call me 'Guru'.